Variant streams for real-time or near real-time streaming to provide failover protection

ABSTRACT

Methods and apparatuses provide real-time or near real-time streaming of content using transfer protocols such as an HTTP compliant protocol. In one embodiment, a method includes providing multiple redundant locations that provide media content to client devices using alternative streams. To implement failover protection, a first server device or first content distribution service creates a stream, or multiple alternate bandwidth streams and generates playlist file(s). A second server device or second content distribution service creates a parallel stream, or set of streams. A client attempts to download the playlist file(s) from a first uniform resource locator (URL) using a first stream associated with the first server device or the first content distribution service. If a client is unable to download the playlist file(s) from the first URL, the client attempts to switch to an alternate stream associated with another URL.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patentapplication 61/240,648, filed on Sep. 8, 2009, and hereby incorporatesby reference herein that provisional application; and this applicationis also a continuation-in-part of U.S. applications:

(1) Application Ser. No. 12/479,690 (Docket No. P7437US1), filed Jun. 5,2009, entitled “REAL-TTIME OR NEAR REAL-TTIME STREAMING,” which claimsthe benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Nos. 61/142,110 filedon Dec. 31, 2008 (Docket No. P7437Z); 61/160,693 filed on Mar. 16, 2009(Docket No. P7437Z2); 61/161,036 filed on Mar. 17, 2009 (Docket No.P7437Z3); and 61/167,524 filed on Apr. 7, 2009 (Docket No. P7437Z4); and

(2) Application Ser. No. 12/479,698 (Docket No. P7437US2), filed Jun. 5,2009, entitled “VARIANT STREAMS FOR REAL-TTIME OR NEAR REAL-TTIMESTREAMING,” which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patentapplication Nos. 61/142,110 filed on Dec. 31, 2008 (Docket No. P7437Z);61/160,693 filed on Mar. 16, 2009 (Docket No. P7437Z2); 61/161,036 filedon Mar. 17, 2009 (Docket No. P7437Z3); and 61/167,524 filed on Apr. 7,2009 (Docket No. P7437Z4); and

(3) Application Ser. No. 12/479,732 (Docket No. P7437US3), filed Jun. 5,2009, entitled “UPDATABLE REAL-TTIME OR NEAR REAL-TTIME STREAMING,”which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Nos.61/142,110 filed on Dec. 31, 2008 (Docket No. P7437Z); 61/160,693 filedon Mar. 16, 2009 (Docket No. P7437Z2); 61/161,036 filed on Mar. 17, 2009(Docket No. P7437Z3); and 61/167,524 filed on Apr. 7, 2009 (Docket No.P7437Z4); and

(4) Application Ser. No. 12/479,735 (Docket No. P7437US4), filed Jun. 5,2009, entitled “PLAYLISTS FOR REAL-TTIME OR NEAR REAL-TTIME STREAMING,”which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Nos.61/142,110 filed on Dec. 31, 2008 (Docket No. P7437Z); 61/160,693 filedon Mar. 16, 2009 (Docket No. P7437Z2); 61/161,036 filed on Mar. 17, 2009(Docket No. P7437Z3); and 61/167,524 filed on Apr. 7, 2009 (Docket No.P7437Z4).

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the invention relate to data transmission techniques.More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to techniquesthat allow streaming of data using non-streaming protocols such as, forexample, HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

BACKGROUND

Streaming of content generally refers to multimedia content that isconstantly transmitted from a server device and received by a clientdevice. The content is usually presented to an end-user while it isbeing delivered by the streaming server. The name refers to the deliverymethod of the medium rather than to the medium itself.

Current streaming services generally require specialized servers todistribute “live” content to end users. In any large scale deployment,this can lead to great cost, and requires specialized skills to set upand run. This results in a less than desirable library of contentavailable for streaming.

SUMMARY OF THE DESCRIPTION

In one embodiment, a method includes providing multiple redundantlocations that provide media content to client devices using alternativestreams. To implement failover protection, a first server device orfirst content distribution service creates a stream, or multiplealternate bandwidth streams and generates playlist file(s). A secondserver device or second content distribution service creates a parallelstream, or set of streams. A client attempts to download the playlistfile(s) from a first uniform resource locator (URL) using a first streamassociated with the first server device or the first contentdistribution service. If a client is unable to download the playlistfile(s) from the first URL, the client attempts to switch to analternate stream associated with another URL.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by way oflimitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which likereference numerals refer to similar elements.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a server and clients thatcan send and receive real-time, or near real-time, content.

FIG. 2A is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a technique for one ormore server devices to support media content using non-streamingprotocols.

FIG. 2B is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a technique for one ormore server devices to provide dynamically updated playlists to one ormore client devices.

FIG. 2C is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a technique for one ormore server devices to provide media content to client devices usingmultiple bit rates.

FIG. 3A is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a technique for a clientdevice to support streaming of content using non-streaming protocols.

FIG. 3B is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a technique for a clientdevice to support streaming of content using multiple bit rates.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a server stream agent.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a client stream agent.

FIG. 6 illustrates on embodiment, of a playlist file with multiple tags.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a playback technique forassembled streams as described herein.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of one embodiment of an electronic system.

FIG. 9A is a flowchart showing an example of how a client device canswitch between alternative content in a variant playlist.

FIG. 9B is a further flowchart showing how a client device can switchbetween content in two playlists.

FIG. 9C is a further flowchart showing an example of how a client devicecan switch between content using audio pattern matching.

FIG. 9D shows diagrammatically how the method of FIG. 9C is implementedwith audio pattern matching.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a technique for providingmultiple redundant locations that provide media content to clientdevices using alternative streams.

FIG. 11 illustrates a network in which a client 1102 communicatesbi-directionally with one or more URLs in accordance with oneembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth.However, embodiments of the invention may be practiced without thesespecific details. In other instances, well-known circuits, structuresand techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure theunderstanding of this description.

The present description includes material protected by copyrights, suchas illustrations of graphical user interface images. The owners of thecopyrights, including the assignee of the present invention, herebyreserve their rights, including copyright, in these materials. Thecopyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyoneof the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in thePatent and Trademark Office file or records, but otherwise reserves allcopyrights whatsoever. Copyright Apple Inc. 2009.

In one embodiment, techniques and components described herein caninclude mechanisms to deliver streaming experience using non-streamingprotocols (e.g., HTTP) and other technologies (e.g., Motion PictureExpert Group (MPEG) streams). For example, near real-time streamingexperience can be provided using HTTP to broadcast a “live” musical orsporting event, live news, a Web camera feed, etc. In one embodiment, aprotocol can segment incoming media data into multiple media files andstore those segmented media files on a server. The protocol can alsobuild a playlist file that includes Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs)that direct the client to the segmented media files stored on a server.When the segmented media files are played back in accordance with theplaylist file(s), the client can provide the user with a near real-timebroadcast of a “live” event. Pre-recorded content can be provided in asimilar manner.

In one embodiment, the server can dynamically introduce supplementary oralternative media content (e.g., advertisements, statistics related to asporting event, additional media content to the main presentation) intothe broadcast event. For example, during client playback of a mediaevent, the server can add additional URIs to the playlist file, the URIsmay identify a location from which a client can download a supplementarymedia file. The client can be instructed to periodically retrieve fromthe server one or more updated playlist file(s) in order to access anysupplementary or additional (or both) media content the server hasintroduced.

In one embodiment, the server can operate in either cumulative mode orin rolling mode. In cumulative mode, the server can create a playlistfile and append media file identifiers to the end of the playlist file.The client then has access to all parts of the stream from a singleplaylist file (e.g., a user can start at the middle of a show) whendownloaded. In rolling mode, the server may limit the availability ofmedia files by removing media file identifiers from the beginning of theplaylist file on a rolling basis, thereby providing a sliding window ofmedia content accessible to a client device. The server can also addmedia file identifiers to the playlist and, in rolling mode, the servercan limit the availability of media files to those that have been mostrecently added to the playlist. The client then repeatedly downloadsupdated copies of the playlist file to continue viewing. The rollingbasis for playlist downloading can be useful when the content ispotentially unbounded in time (e.g. content from a continuously operatedweb cam). The client can continue to repeatedly request the playlist inthe rolling mode until it finds an end tag in the playlist.

In one embodiment, the mechanism supports bit rate switching byproviding variant streams of the same presentation. For example, severalversions of a presentation to be served can be stored on the server.Each version can have substantially the same content but be encoded atdifferent bit rates. This can allow the client device to switch betweenbit rates depending on, for example, a detection of the availablebandwidth, without compromising continuity of playback.

In one embodiment, protection features may be provided to protectcontent against unauthorized use. For example, non-sequential media filenumbering may be used to prevent prediction. Encryption of media filesmay be used. Partial media file lists may be used. Additional and/ordifferent protection features may also be provided.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a server and clients thatcan send and receive real-time, or near real-time, content. The exampleof FIG. 1 provides a simple server-client connection with two clientscoupled with a server via a network. Any number of clients may besupported utilizing the techniques and mechanisms described herein.Further, multiple servers may provide content and/or may operatetogether to provide content according to the techniques and mechanismsdescribed herein. For example, one server may create the content, createthe playlists and create the multiple media (e.g. files) and otherservers store and transmit the created content.

Network 110 may be any type of network whether wired, wireless (e.g.,IEEE 802.11, 802.16) or any combination thereof. For example, Network100 may be the Internet or an intranet. As another example, network 110may be a cellular network (e.g., 3G, CDMA). In one embodiment, clientdevices 150 and 180 may be capable of communicating over multiplenetwork types (e.g. each device can communicate over a WiFi wireless LANand also over a wireless cellular telephone network). For example,client devices 150 and 180 may be smart phones or cellular-enabledpersonal digital assistants that can communicate over cellularradiotelephone networks as well as data networks. These devices may beable to utilize the streaming mechanisms described herein over eithertype of network or even switch between networks as necessary.

Server 120 may operate as a HTTP server in any manner known in the art.That is server 120 includes a HTTP server agent 145 that providescontent using HTTP protocols. While the example of FIG. 1 is describedin terms of HTTP, other protocols can be utilized in a similar manner.Segmenter 130 and indexer 135 are agents that reside on server 120 (ormultiple servers) to provide content in media files with a playlist fileas described herein. These media files and playlist files may beprovided over network 110 via HTTP server agent 145 (or via otherservers) using HTTP protocols. Agents as discussed herein can beimplemented as hardware, software, firmware or a combination thereof.

Segmenter 130 may function to divide the stream of media data intomultiple media files that may be transmitted via HTTP protocols. Indexer135 may function to create a playlist file corresponding to thesegmented media files so that client devices can reassemble the mediafiles to provide real-time, or near real-time, transmission of thecontent provided by server 120. In response to one or more requests froma client device, HTTP server agent 145 (or other servers) may transmitone or more playlist files as generated by indexer 135 and media filesof content as generated by segmenter 130. Server 120 may further includeoptional security agent 140 that provides one or more of the securityfunctions (e.g. encryption) discussed herein. Server 120 may alsoinclude additional components not illustrated in FIG. 1.

Client devices 150 and 180 may receive the playlist files and mediafiles from server 120 over network 110. Client devices may be any typeof electronic device that is capable of receiving data transmitted overa network and generate output utilizing the data received via thenetwork, for example, wireless mobile devices, PDAs, entertainmentdevices, consumer electronic devices, etc. The output may be any mediatype of combination of media types, including, for example, audio, videoor any combination thereof.

Client device 150 can include assembler agent 160 and output generatoragent 165. Similarly, client device 180 can include assembler agent 190and output generator agent 195. Assembler agents 160 and 180 receive theplaylist files from server 120 and use the playlist files to access anddownload media files from server 120. Output generator agents 165 and195 use the downloaded media files to generate output from clientdevices 150 and 160, respectively. The output may be provided by one ormore speakers, one or more display screens, a combination of speakersand display screens or any other input or output device. The clientdevices can also include memory (e.g. flash memory or DRAM, etc.) to actas a buffer to store the media files (e.g. compressed media files ordecompressed media files) as they are received; the buffer can providemany seconds worth of presentable content beyond the time of contentcurrently being presented so that the buffered content can later bedisplayed while new content is being downloaded. This buffer can providepresentable content while the client device is attempting to retrievecontent through an intermittently slow network connection and hence thebuffer can hide network latency or connection problems.

Client devices 150 and 180 may further include optional security agents170 and 185, respectively that provide one or more of the securityfunctions discussed herein. Client devices 150 and 180 may also includeadditional components not illustrated in FIG. 1.

In one embodiment, the techniques that are described in this applicationmay be used to transmit an unbounded stream of multimedia data over anon-streaming protocol (e.g., HTTP). Embodiments can also includeencryption of media data and/or provision of alternate versions of astream (e.g., to provide alternate bit rates). Because media data can betransmitted soon after creation, the data can be received in nearreal-time. Example data formats for files as well as actions to be takenby a server (sender) and a client (receiver) of the stream of multimediadata are provided; however, other formats can also be supported.

A media presentation that can be transmitted as a simulated real-timestream (or near real-time stream) is specified by a Universal ResourceIndicator (URI) that indicates a playlist file. In one embodiment, theplaylist file is an ordered list of additional URIs. Each URI in theplaylist file refers to a media file that is a segment of a stream,which may be a single contiguous stream of media data for a particularprogram.

In order to play the stream of media data, the client device obtains theplaylist file from the server. The client also obtains and plays eachmedia data file indicated by the playlist file. In one embodiment, theclient can dynamically or repeatedly reload the playlist file todiscover additional and/or different media segments.

The playlist files may be, for example, Extended M3U Playlist files. Inone embodiment, additional tags that effectively extend the M3U formatare used. M3U refers to Moving Picture Experts Group Audio Layer 3Uniform Resource Locator (MP3 URL) and is a format used to storemultimedia playlists. A M3U file is a text file that contains thelocations of one or more media files for a media player to play.

The playlist file, in one embodiment, is an Extended M3U-formatted textfile that consists of individual lines. The lines can be terminated byeither a single LF character or a CR character followed by a LFcharacter. Each line can be a URI, a blank line, or start with a commentcharacter (e.g. ‘#’). URIs identify media files to be played. Blanklines can be ignored.

Lines that start with the comment character can be either comments ortags. Tags can begin with #EXT, while comment lines can begin with #.Comment lines are normally ignored by the server and client. In oneembodiment, playlist files are encoded in UTF-8 format. UTF-8 (8-bitUnicode Transformation Format) is a variable-length character encodingformat. In alternate embodiments, other character encoding formats canbe used.

In the examples that follow, an Extended M3U format is utilized thatincludes two tags: EXTM3U and EXTINF. An Extended M3U file may bedistinguished from a basic M3U file by a first line that includes“#EXTM3U”.

EXTINF is a record marker that describes the media file identified bythe URI that follows the tag. In one embodiment, each media file URI ispreceded by an EXTINF tag, for example:

-   -   #EXTINF: <duration>,<title>        where “duration” specifies the duration of the media file and        “title” is the title of the target media file.

In one embodiment, the following tags may be used to manage the transferand playback of media files:

EXT-X-TARGETDURATION EXT-X-MEDIA-SEQUENCE EXT-X-KEYEXT-X-PROGRAM-DATE-TIME EXT-X-ALLOW-CACHE EXT-X-STREAM-INF EXT-X-ENDLISTThese tags will each be described in greater detail below. Whilespecific formats and attributes are described with respect to each newtag, alternative embodiments can also be supported with differentattributes, names, formats, etc.

The EXT-X-TARGETDURATION tag can indicate the approximate duration ofthe next media file that will be added to the presentation. It can beincluded in the playback file and the format can be:

-   -   #EXT-X-TARGETDURATION:<seconds>        where “seconds” indicates the duration of the media file. In one        embodiment, the actual duration may differ slightly from the        target duration indicated by the tag. In one embodiment, every        URI indicating a segment will be associated with an approximate        duration of the segment; for example, the URI for a segment may        be prefixed with a tag indicating the approximate duration of        that segment.

Each media file URI in a playlist file can have a unique sequencenumber. The sequence number, if present, of a URI is equal to thesequence number of the URI that preceded it, plus one in one embodiment.The EXT-X-MEDIA-SEQUENCE tag can indicate the sequence number of thefirst URI that appears in a playlist file and the format can be:

-   -   #EXT-X-MEDIA-SEQUENCE:<number>        where “number” is the sequence number of the URI. If the        playlist file does not include a #EXT-X-MEDIA-SEQUENCE tag, the        sequence number of the first URI in the playlist can be        considered 1. In one embodiment, the sequence numbering can be        non-sequential; for example, non-sequential sequence numbering        such as 1, 5, 7, 17, etc. can make it difficult to predict the        next number in a sequence and this can help to protect the        content from pirating. Another option to help protect the        content is to reveal only parts of a playlist at any given time.

Some media files may be encrypted. The EXT-X-KEY tag providesinformation that can be used to decrypt media files that follow it andthe format can be:

-   -   #EXT-X-KEY:METHOD=<method>[,URI=″<URI>″]        The METHOD parameter specifies the encryption method and the URI        parameter, if present, specifies how to obtain the key.

An encryption method of NONE indicates no encryption. Various encryptionmethods may be used, for example AES-128, which indicates encryptionusing the Advance Encryption Standard encryption with a 128-bit key andPKCS7 padding [see RFC3852]. A new EXT-X-KEY tag supersedes any priorEXT-X-KEY tags.

An EXT-X-KEY tag with a URI parameter identifies the key file. A keyfile may contain the cipher key that is to be used to decrypt subsequentmedia files listed in the playlist file. For example, the AES-128encryption method uses 16-octet keys. The format of the key file can bea packed array of 16 octets in binary format.

Use of AES-128 normally requires that the same 16-octet initializationvector (IV) be supplied when encrypting and decrypting. Varying the IVcan be used to increase the strength of the cipher. When using AES-128encryption, the sequence number of the media file can be used as the IVwhen encrypting or decrypting media files.

The EXT-X-PROGRAM-DATE-TIME tag can associate the beginning of the nextmedia file with an absolute date and/or time and can include or indicatea time zone. In one embodiment, the date/time representation is ISO/IEC8601:2004. The tag format can be:

-   -   EXT-X-PROGRAM-DATE-TIME:<YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ssZ>

The EXT-X-ALLOW-CACHE tag can be used to indicate whether the client maycache the downloaded media files for later playback. The tag format canbe:

-   -   EXT-X-ALLOW-CACHE:<YES|NO>

The EXT-X-ENDLIST tag indicates in one embodiment that no more mediafiles will be added to the playlist file. The tag format can be:

-   -   EXT-X-ENDLIST        In one embodiment, if a playlist contains the final segment or        media file then the playlist will have the EXT-X-ENDLIST tag.

The EXT-X-STREAM-INF tag can be used to indicate that the next URI inthe playlist file identifies another playlist file. The tag format canbe, in one embodiment:

-   -   EXT-X-STREAM-INF:[attribute=value],[attribute=value]*<URI>        where the following attributes may be used. The attribute        BANDWIDTH=<n> is an approximate upper bound of the stream bit        rate expressed as a number of bits per second. The attribute        PROGRAM-ID=<i> is a number that uniquely identifies a particular        presentation within the scope of the playlist file. A playlist        file may include multiple EXT-X-STREAM-INF URIs with the same        PROGRAM-ID to describe variant streams of the same presentation.        Variant streams and variant playlists are described further in        this disclosure (e.g. see FIGS. 9A-9D).

The foregoing tags and attributes can be used by the server device toorganize, transmit and process the media files that represent theoriginal media content. The client devices use this information toreassemble and present the media files in a manner to provide areal-time, or near real-time, streaming experience (e.g. viewing of alive broadcast such as a music or sporting event) to a user of theclient device.

Each media file URI in a playlist file identifies a media file that is asegment of the original presentation (i.e., original media content). Inone embodiment, each media file is formatted as a MPEG-2 transportstream, a MPEG-2 program stream, or a MPEG-2 audio elementary stream.The format can be specified by specifying a CODEC, and the playlist canspecify a format by specifying a CODEC. In one embodiment, all mediafiles in a presentation have the same format; however, multiple formatsmay be supported in other embodiments. A transport stream file should,in one embodiment, contain a single MPEG-2 program, and there should bea Program Association Table and a Program Map Table at the start of eachfile. A file that contains video SHOULD have at least one key frame andenough information to completely initialize a video decoder. ClientsSHOULD be prepared to handle multiple tracks of a particular type (e.g.audio or video) by choosing a reasonable subset. Clients should, in oneembodiment, ignore private streams inside Transport Streams that they donot recognize. The encoding parameters for samples within a streaminside a media file and between corresponding streams across multiplemedia files SHOULD remain consistent. However clients SHOULD deal withencoding changes as they are encountered, for example by scaling videocontent to accommodate a resolution change.

FIG. 2A is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a technique for one ormore server devices to support media content using non-streamingprotocols. The example of FIG. 2A is provided in terms of HTTP; however,other non-streaming protocols can be utilized in a similar manner. Theexample of FIG. 2A is provided in terms of a single server performingcertain tasks. However, any number of servers may be utilized. Forexample, the server that provides media files to client devices may be adifferent device than a server that segments the content into multiplemedia files.

The server device receives content to be provided in operation 200. Thecontent may represent live audio and/or video (e.g., a sporting event,live news, a Web camera feed). The content may also representpre-recorded content (e.g., a concert that has been recorded, a trainingseminar, etc.). The content may be received by the server according toany format and protocol known in the art, whether streamed or not. Inone embodiment, the content is received by the server in the form of aMPEG-2 stream; however, other formats can also be supported.

The server may then store temporarily at least portions of the contentin operation 210. The content or at least portions of the content may bestored temporarily, for example, on a storage device (e.g., hard disk ina Storage Area Network, etc.) or in memory. Alternatively, the contentmay be received as via a storage medium (e.g., compact disc, flashdrive) from which the content may be transferred to a storage device ormemory. In one embodiment, the server has an encoder that converts, ifnecessary, the content to one or more streams (e.g., MPEG-2). Thisconversion can occur without storing permanently the received content,and in some embodiments, the storage operation 210 may be omitted or itmay be a longer term storage (e.g. an archival storage) in otherembodiments.

The content to be provided is segmented into multiple media files inoperation 220. In one embodiment, the server converts a stream intoseparate and distinct media files (i.e., segments) that can bedistributed using a standard web server. In one embodiment, the serversegments the media stream at points that support effective decode of theindividual media files (e.g., on packet and key frame boundaries such asPES packet boundaries and i-frame boundaries). The media files can beportions of the original stream with approximately equal duration. Theserver also creates a URI for each media file. These URIs allow clientdevices to access the media files.

Because the segments are served using HTTP servers, which inherentlydeliver whole files, the server should have a complete segmented mediafile available before it can be served to the clients. Thus, the clientmay lag (in time) the broadcast by at least one media file length. Inone embodiment, media file size is based on a balance between lag timeand having too many files.

In one embodiment, two session types (live session and event session)are supported. For a live session, only a fixed size portion of thestream is preserved. In one embodiment, content media files that are outof date are removed from the program playlist file, and can be removedfrom the server. The second type of session is an event session, wherethe client can tune into any point of the broadcast (e.g., start fromthe beginning, start from a mid-point). This type of session can be usedfor rebroadcast, for example.

The media files are stored in the server memory in operation 230. Themedia files can be protected by a security feature, such as encryption,before storing the files in operation 230. The media files are stored asfiles that are ready to transmit using the network protocol (e.g., HTTPor HTTPS) supported by the Web server application on the server device(or supported by another device which does the transmission).

One or more playlist files are generated to indicate the order in whichthe media files should be assembled to recreate the original content inoperation 240. The playlist file(s) can utilize Extended M3U tags andthe tags described herein to provide information for a client device toaccess and reassemble the media files to provide a streaming experienceon the client device. A URI for each media file is included in theplaylist file(s) in the order in which the media files are to be played.The server can also create one or more URIs for the playlist file(s) toallow the client devices to access the playlist file(s).

The playlist file(s) can be stored on the server in operation 250. Whilethe creation and storing of media files and playlist file(s) arepresented in a particular order in FIG. 2A, a different order may alsobe used. For example, the playlist file(s) may be created before themedia files are created or stored. As another example, the playlistfile(s) and media files may be created before either are stored.

If media files are to be encrypted the playlist file(s) can define a URIthat allows authorized client devices to obtain a key file containing anencryption key to decrypt the media files. An encryption key can betransmitted using a secure connection (e.g., HTTPS). As another example,the playlist file(s) may be transmitted using HTTPS. As a furtherexample, media files may be arranged in an unpredictable order so thatthe client cannot recreate the stream without the playlist file(s).

If the encryption method is AES-128, AES-128 CBC encryption, forexample, may be applied to individual media files. In one embodiment,the entire file is encrypted. Cipher block chaining is normally notapplied across media files in one embodiment. The sequence of the mediafiles is use as the IV as described above. In one embodiment, the serveradds an EXT-X-KEY tag with the key URI to the end of the playlist file.The server then encrypts all subsequent media files with that key untila change in encryption configuration is made.

To switch to a new encryption key, the server can make the new keyavailable via a new URI that is distinct from all previous key URIs usedin the presentation. The server also adds an EXT-X-KEY tag with the newkey URI to the end of a playlist file and encrypts all subsequent mediafiles with the new key.

To end encryption, the server can add an EXT-X-KEY tag with theencryption method NONE at the end of the playlist file. The tag (with“NONE” as the method) does not include a URI parameter in oneembodiment. All subsequent media files are not encrypted until a changein encryption configuration is made as described above. The server doesnot remove an EXT-X-KEY tag from a playlist file if the playlist filecontains a URI to a media file encrypted with that key. The server cantransmit the playlist file(s) and the media files over the network inresponse to client requests in operation 270, as described in moredetail with respect to FIG. 3A.

In one embodiment, a server transmits the playlist file to a clientdevice in response to receiving a request from a client device for aplaylist file. The client device may access/request the playlist fileusing a URI that has been provided to the client device. The URIindicates the location of the playlist file on the server. In response,the server may provide the playlist file to the client device. Theclient device may the utilize tags and URIs (or other identifiers) inthe playlist file to access the multiple media files.

In one embodiment, the server may limit the availability of media filesto those that have been most recently added to the playlist file(s). Todo this, each playlist file can include only one EXT-X-MEDIA-SEQUENCEtag and the value can be incremented by one for every media file URIthat is removed from the playlist file. Media file URIs can be removedfrom the playlist file(s) in the order in which they were added. In oneembodiment, when the server removes a media file URI from the playlistfile(s) the media file remains available to clients for a period of timeequal to the duration of the media file plus the duration of the longestplaylist file in which the media file has appeared.

The duration of a playlist file is the sum of the durations of the mediafiles within that playlist file. Other durations can also be used. Inone embodiment, the server can maintain at least three main presentationmedia files in the playlist at all times unless the EXT-X-ENDLIST tag ispresent.

FIG. 2B is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a technique for one ormore server devices to provide dynamically updated playlists to one ormore client devices. The playlists can be updated using either of thecumulative mode or the rolling mode described herein. The example ofFIG. 2B is provided in terms of HTTP; however, other non-streamingprotocols (e.g. HTTPS, etc.) can be utilized in a similar manner. Theexample of FIG. 2B is provided in terms of a server performing certaintasks. However, any number of servers may be utilized. For example, theserver that provides media files to client devices may be a differentdevice than the server that segments the content into multiple mediafiles.

The server device receives content to be provided in operation 205. Theserver may then temporarily store at least portions of the content inoperation 215. Operation 215 can be similar to operation 210 in FIG. 2A.The content to be provided is segmented into multiple media files inoperation 225. The media files can be stored in the server memory inoperation 235. The media files can be protected by a security feature,such as encryption, before storing the files in operation 235.

One or more playlist files are generated to indicate the order in whichthe media files should be assembled to recreate the original content inoperation 245. The playlist file(s) can be stored on the server inoperation 255. While the creation and storing of media files andplaylist file(s) are presented in a particular order in FIG. 2B, adifferent order may also be used.

The server (or another server) can transmit the playlist file(s) and themedia files over the network in response to client requests in operation275, as described in more detail with respect to FIGS. 3A-3B.

The playlist file(s) may be updated by a server for various reasons. Theserver may receive additional data to be provided to the client devicesin operation 285. The additional data can be received after the playlistfile(s) are stored in operation 255. The additional data may be, forexample, additional portions of a live presentation, or additionalinformation for an existing presentation. Additional data may includeadvertisements or statistics (e.g. scores or data relating to a sportingevent). The additional data could be overlaid (through translucency) onthe presentation or be presented in a sidebar user interface. Theadditional data can be segmented in the same manner as the originallyreceived data. If the additional data constitutes advertisements, orother content to be inserted into the program represented by theplaylist, the additional data can be stored (at least temporarily) inoperation 215, segmented in operation 225 and stored in operation 235;prior to storage of the segmented additional data, the segments of theadditional data can be encrypted. Then in operation 245 an updatedplaylist, containing the program and the additional data, would begenerated. The playlist is updated based on the additional data andstored again in operation 255. Changes to the playlist file(s) should bemade atomically from the perspective of the client device. The updatedplaylist replaces, in one embodiment, the previous playlist. Asdiscussed below in greater detail, client devices can request theplaylist multiple times. These requests enable the client devices toutilize the most recent playlist. In one embodiment, the additional datamay be metadata; in this case, the playlist does not need to be updated,but the segments can be updated to include metadata. For example, themetadata may contain timestamps which can be matched with timestamps inthe segments, and the metadata can be added to segments having matchingtimestamps.

The updated playlist may also result in the removal of media files. Inone embodiment, a server should remove URIs, for the media files, fromthe playlist in the order in which they were added to the playlist. Inone embodiment, if the server removes an entire presentation, it makesthe playlist file(s) unavailable to client devices. In one embodiment,the server maintains the media files and the playlist file(s) for theduration of the longest playlist file(s) containing a media file to beremoved to allow current client devices to finish accessing thepresentation. Accordingly, every media file URI in the playlist file canbe prefixed with an EXT-X-STREAM-INF tag to indicate the approximatecumulative duration of the media files indicated by the playlist file.In alternate embodiments, the media files and the playlist file(s) maybe removed immediately.

Subsequent requests for the playlist from client devices result in theserver providing the updated playlist in operation 275. In oneembodiment, playlists are updated on a regular basis, for example, aperiod of time related to the target duration. Periodic updates of theplaylist file allow the server to provide access to servers to adynamically changing presentation.

FIG. 2C is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a technique for one ormore server devices to provide media content to client devices usingmultiple bit rates, which is one form of the use of alternative streams.The example of FIG. 2C is provided in terms of HTTP; however, othernon-streaming protocols can be utilized in a similar manner. The exampleof FIG. 2C is provided in terms of a server performing certain tasks.However, any number of servers may be utilized. For example, the serverthat provides media files to client devices may be a different devicethan a server that segments the content into multiple media files.

In one embodiment, the server can offer multiple playlist files or asingle playlist file with multiple media file lists in the singleplaylist file to provide different encodings of the same presentation.If different encodings are provided, playlist file(s) may include eachvariant stream providing different bit rates to allow client devices toswitch between encodings dynamically (this is described further inconnection with FIGS. 9A-9D). Playlist files having variant streams caninclude an EXT-X-STREAM-INF tag for each variant stream. EachEXT-X-STREAM-INF tag for the same presentation can have the samePROGRAM-ID attribute value. The PROGRAM-ID value for each presentationis unique within the variant streams.

In one embodiment, the server meets the following constraints whenproducing variant streams. Each variant stream can consist of the samecontent including optional content that is not part of the mainpresentation. The server can make the same period of content availablefor all variant streams within an accuracy of the smallest targetduration of the streams. The media files of the variant streams are, inone embodiment, either MPEG-2 Transport Streams or MPEG-2 ProgramStreams with sample timestamps that match for corresponding content inall variant streams. Also, all variant streams should, in oneembodiment, contain the same audio encoding. This allows client devicesto switch between variant streams without losing content.

Referring to FIG. 2C, the server device receives content to be providedin operation 202. The server may then at least temporarily store thecontent in operation 212. The content to be provided is segmented intomultiple media files in operation 222. Each media file is encoded for aselected bit rate (or a selected value of other encoding parameters) andstored on the server in operation 232. For example, the media files maybe targeted for high-, medium- and low-bandwidth connections. The mediafiles can be encrypted prior to storage. The encoding of the media filestargeted for the various types of connections may be selected to providea streaming experience at the target bandwidth level.

In one embodiment, a variant playlist is generated in operation 242 withtags as described herein that indicate various encoding levels. The tagsmay include, for example, an EXT-X-STREAM-INF tag for each encodinglevel with a URI to a corresponding media playlist file.

This variant playlist can include URIs to media playlist files for thevarious encoding levels. Thus, a client device can select a target bitrate from the alternatives provided in the variant playlist indicatingthe encoding levels and retrieve the corresponding playlist file. In oneembodiment, a client device may change between bit rates during playback(e.g. as described with respect to FIGS. 9A-9D). The variant playlistindicating the various encoding levels is stored on the server inoperation 252. In operation 242, each of the playlists referred to inthe variant playlist can also be generated and then stored in operation252.

In response to a request from a client device, the server may transmitthe variant playlist that indicates the various encoding levels inoperation 272. The server may receive a request for one of the mediaplaylists specified in the variant playlist corresponding to a selectedbit rate in operation 282. In response to the request, the servertransmits the media playlist file corresponding to the request from theclient device in operation 292. The client device may then use the mediaplaylist to request media files from the server. The server provides themedia files to the client device in response to requests in operation297.

FIG. 3A is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a technique for a clientdevice to support streaming of content using non-streaming protocols.The example of FIG. 3A is provided in terms of HTTP; however, othernon-streaming protocols can be utilized in a similar manner. The methodsshown in FIGS. 3A-3B can be performed by one client device or by severalseparate client devices. For example, in the case of any one of thesemethods, a single client device may perform all of the operations (e.g.request a playlist file, request media files using URIs in the playlistfile, assemble the media files to generate and provide apresentation/output) or several distinct client devices can perform somebut not all of the operations (e.g. a first client device can request aplaylist file and request media files using URIs in the playlist fileand can store those media files for use by a second client device whichcan process the media files to generate and provide apresentation/output).

The client device may request a playlist file from a server in operation300. In one embodiment, the request is made according to anHTTP-compliant protocol. The request utilizes a URI to an initialplaylist file stored on the server. In alternate embodiments, othernon-streaming protocols can be supported. In response to the request,the server will transmit the corresponding playlist file to the clientover a network. As discussed above, the network can be wired or wirelessand can be any combination of wired or wireless networks. Further, thenetwork may be a data network (e.g., IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.16) or acellular telephone network (e.g., 3G).

The client device can receive the playlist file in operation 310. Theplaylist file can be stored in a memory of the client device inoperation 320. The memory can be, for example, a hard disk, a flashmemory, a random-access memory. In one embodiment, each time a playlistfile is loaded or reloaded from the playlist URI, the client checks todetermine that the playlist file begins with a #EXTM3U tag and does notcontinue if the tag is absent. As discussed above, the playlist fileincludes one or more tags as well as one or more URIs to media files.

The client device can include an assembler agent that uses the playlistfile to reassemble the original content by requesting media filesindicated by the URIs in the playlist file in operation 330. In oneembodiment, the assembler agent is a plug-in module that is part of astandard Web browser application. In another embodiment, the assembleragent may be a stand-alone application that interacts with a Web browserto receive and assemble the media files using the playlist file(s). As afurther example, the assembler agent may be a special-purpose hardwareor firmware component that is embedded in the client device.

The assembler causes media files from the playlist file to be downloadedfrom the server indicated by the URIs. If the playlist file contains theEXT-X-ENDLIST tag, any media file indicated by the playlist file may beplayed first. If the EXT-X-ENDLIST tag is not present, any media fileexcept for the last and second-to-last media files may be played first.Once the first media file to play has been chosen, subsequent mediafiles in the playlist file are loaded, in one embodiment, in the orderthat they appear in the playlist file (otherwise the content ispresented out of order). In one embodiment, the client device attemptsto load media files in advance of when they are required (and storesthem in a buffer) to provide uninterrupted playback and to compensatefor temporary variations in network latency and throughput.

The downloaded media file(s) can be stored in a memory on the clientdevice in operation 340. The memory in which the content can be storedmay be any type of memory on the client device, for example,random-access memory, a hard disk, or a video buffer. The storage may betemporary to allow playback or may be permanent. If the playlist filecontains the EXT-X-ALLOW-CACHE tag and its value is NO, the client doesnot store the downloaded media files after they have been played. If theplaylist contains the EXT-X-ALLOW-CACHE tag and its value is YES, theclient device may store the media files indefinitely for later replay.The client device may use the value of the EXT-X-PROGRAM-DATE-TIME tagto display the program origination time to the user. In one embodiment,the client can buffer multiple media files so that it is lesssusceptible to network jitter, in order to provide a better userexperience.

In one embodiment, if the decryption method is AES-128, then AES-128 CBCdecryption is applied to the individual media files. The entire file isdecrypted. In one embodiment, cipher block chaining is not appliedacross media files. The sequence number of the media file can be used asthe initialization vector as described above.

From the memory, the content can be output from the client device inoperation 350. The output or presentation may be, for example, audiooutput via built-in speakers or head phones. The output may includevideo that is output via a screen or projected from the client device.Any type of output known in the art may be utilized. In operation 351,the client device determines whether there are any more media files inthe stored, current playlist which have not been played or otherwisepresented. If such media files exist (and if they have not beenrequested) then processing returns to operation 330 in which one or moremedia files are requested and the process repeats. If there are no suchmedia files (i.e., all media files in the current playlist have beenplayed), then processing proceeds to operation 352, which determineswhether the playlist file includes an end tag.

If the playlist includes an end tag (e.g., EXT-X-ENDLIST) in operation352, playback ceases when the media files indicated by the playlist filehave been played. If the end tag is not in the playlist, then the clientdevice requests a playlist again from the server and reverts back tooperation 300 to obtain a further or updated playlist for the program.

As discussed in greater detail with respect to FIG. 2B, a server mayupdate a playlist file to introduce supplementary content (e.g.,additional media file identifiers corresponding to additional mediacontent in a live broadcast) or additional content (e.g. content furtherdown the stream). To access the supplementary content or additionalcontent, a client can reload the updated playlist from the server. Thiscan provide a mechanism by which playlist files can be dynamicallyupdated, even during playback of the media content associated with aplaylist file. A client can request a reload of the playlist file basedon a number of triggers. The lack of an end tag is one such trigger.

In one embodiment, the client device periodically reloads the playlistfile(s) unless the playlist file contains the EXT-X-ENDLIST tag. Whenthe client device loads a playlist file for the first time or reloads aplaylist file and finds that the playlist file has changed since thelast time it was loaded, the client can wait for a period of time beforeattempting to reload the playlist file again. This period is called theinitial minimum reload delay. It is measured from the time that theclient began loading the playlist file.

In one embodiment, the initial minimum reload delay is the duration ofthe last media file in the playlist file or three times the targetduration, whichever is less. The media file duration is specified by theEXTINF tag. If the client reloads a playlist file and finds that it hasnot changed then the client can wait for a period of time beforeretrying. The minimum delay in one embodiment is three times the targetduration or a multiple of the initial minimum reload delay, whichever isless. In one embodiment, this multiple is 0.5 for a first attempt, 1.5for a second attempt and 3.0 for subsequent attempts; however, othermultiples may be used.

Each time a playlist file is loaded or reloaded, the client deviceexamines the playlist file to determine the next media file to load. Thefirst file to load is the media file selected to play first as describedabove. If the first media file to be played has been loaded and theplaylist file does not contain the EXT-X-MEDIA-SEQUENCE tag then theclient can verify that the current playlist file contains the URI of thelast loaded media file at the offset where it was originally found,halting playback if the file is not found. The next media file to loadcan be the first media file URI following the last-loaded URI in theplaylist file.

If the first file to be played has been loaded and the playlist filecontains the EXT-X-MEDIA-SEQUENCE tag, then the next media file to loadcan be the one with the lowest sequence number that is greater than thesequence number of the last media file loaded. If the playlist filecontains an EXT-X-KEY tag that specifies a key file URI, the clientdevice obtains the key file and uses the key inside the key file todecrypt the media files following the EXT-X-KEY tag until anotherEXT-X-KEY tag is encountered.

In one embodiment, the client device utilizes the same URI as previouslyused to download the playlist file. Thus, if changes have been made tothe playlist file, the client device may use the updated playlist fileto retrieve media files and provide output based on the media files.

Changes to the playlist file may include, for example, deletion of a URIto a media file, addition of a URI to a new media file, replacement of aURI to a replacement media file. When changes are made to the playlistfile, one or more tags may be updated to reflect the change(s). Forexample, the duration tag may be updated if changes to the media filesresult in a change to the duration of the playback of the media filesindicated by the playlist file.

FIG. 3B is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a technique for a clientdevice to support streaming of content using multiple bit rates which isone form of alternative streams. The example of FIG. 3B is provided interms of HTTP; however, other non-streaming protocols can be utilized ina similar manner.

The client device can request a playlist file in operation 370. Asdiscussed above, the playlist file may be retrieved utilizing a URIprovided to the client device. In one embodiment, the playlist fileincludes listings of variant streams of media files to provide the samecontent at different bit rates; in other words, a single playlist fileincludes URIs for the media files of each of the variant streams. Theexample shown in FIG. 3B uses this embodiment. In another embodiment,the variant streams may be represented by multiple distinct playlistfiles separately provided to the client that each provide the samecontent at different bit rates, and a variant playlist can provide a URIfor each of the distinct playlist files. This allows the client deviceto select the bit rate based on client conditions.

The playlist file(s) can be retrieved by the client device in operation375. The playlist file(s) can be stored in the client device memory inoperation 380. The client device may select the bit rate to be used inoperation 385 based upon current network connection speeds. Media filesare requested from the server utilizing URIs included in the playlistfile corresponding to the selected bit rate in operation 390. Theretrieved media files can be stored in the client device memory. Outputis provided by the client device utilizing the media files in operation394 and the client device determines whether to change the bit rate.

In one embodiment, a client device selects the lowest available bit rateinitially. While playing the media, the client device can monitoravailable bandwidth (e.g. current network connection bit rates) todetermine whether the available bandwidth can support use of a higherbit rate for playback. If so, the client device can select a higher bitrate and access the media files indicated by the higher bit rate mediaplaylist file. The reverse can also be supported. If the playbackconsumes too much bandwidth, the client device can select a lower bitrate and access the media files indicated by the lower bit rate mediaplaylist file.

If the client device changes the bit rate in operation 394, for example,in response to a change in available bandwidth or in response to userinput, the client device may select a different bit rate in operation385. In one embodiment, to select a different bit rate the client devicemay utilize a different list of URIs included in the playlist file thatcorresponds to the new selected bit rate. In one embodiment, the clientdevice may change bit rates during access of media files within aplaylist.

If the bit rate does not change in operation 394, then the client devicedetermines whether there are any more unplayed media files in thecurrent playlist which have not been retrieved and presented. If suchmedia files exist, then processing returns to operation 390 and one ormore media files are retrieved using the URIs for those files in theplaylist. If there are no such media files (i.e. all media files in thecurrent playlist haven been played), then processing proceeds tooperation 396 in which it is determined whether the playlist includes anend tag. If it does, the playback of the program has ended and theprocess has completed; if it does not, then processing reverts tooperation 370, and the client device requests to reload the playlist forthe program, and the process repeats through the method shown in FIG.3B.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a server stream agent. Itwill be understood that the elements of server stream agent 400 can bedistributed across several server devices. For example, a first serverdevice can include the segmenter 430, the indexer 440 and security 450but not the file server 460 and a second server device can include thefile server 450 but not the segmenter 430, the indexer 440 and security450. In this example, the first server device would prepare theplaylists and media files but would not transmit them to client deviceswhile one or more second server devices would receive and optionallystore the playlists and media files and would transmit the playlists andmedia files to the client devices. Server stream agent 400 includescontrol logic 410, which implements logical functional control to directoperation of server stream agent 400, and hardware associated withdirecting operation of server stream agent 400. Logic may be hardwarelogic circuits or software routines or firmware. In one embodiment,server stream agent 400 includes one or more applications 412, whichrepresent code sequence and/or programs that provide instructions tocontrol logic 410.

Server stream agent 400 includes memory 414, which represents a memorydevice or access to a memory resource for storing data or instructions.Memory 414 may include memory local to server stream agent 400, as wellas, or alternatively, including memory of the host system on whichserver stream agent 400 resides. Server stream agent 400 also includesone or more interfaces 416, which represent access interfaces to/from(an input/output interface) server stream agent 400 with regard toentities (electronic or human) external to server stream agent 400.

Server stream agent 400 also can include server stream engine 420, whichrepresents one or more functions that enable server stream agent 400 toprovide the real-time, or near real-time, streaming as described herein.The example of FIG. 4 provides several components that may be includedin server stream engine 420; however, different or additional componentsmay also be included. Example components that may be involved inproviding the streaming environment include segmenter 430, indexer 440,security 450 and file server 460. Each of these components may furtherinclude other components to provide other functions. As used herein, acomponent refers to routine, a subsystem, etc., whether implemented inhardware, software, firmware or some combination thereof.

Segmenter 430 divides the content to be provided into media files thatcan be transmitted as files using a Web server protocol (e.g., HTTP).For example, segmenter 430 may divide the content into predetermined,fixed-size blocks of data in a pre-determined file format.

Indexer 440 may provide one or more playlist files that provide anaddress or URI to the media files created by segmenter 430. Indexer 440may, for example, create one or more files with a listing of an orderfor identifiers corresponding to each file created by segmenter 430. Theidentifiers may be created or assigned by either segmenter 430 orindexer 440. Indexer 440 can also include one or more tags in theplaylist files to support access and/or utilization of the media files.

Security 450 may provide security features (e.g. encryption) such asthose discussed above. Web server 460 may provide Web serverfunctionality related to providing files stored on a host system to aremote client device. Web server 460 may support, for example,HTTP-compliant protocols.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a client stream agent. Itwill be understood that the elements of a client stream agent can bedistributed across several client devices. For example, a first clientdevice can include an assembler 530 and security 550 and can provide adecrypted stream of media files to a second client device that includesan output generator 540 (but does not include an assembler 530 andsecurity 550). In another example, a primary client device can retrieveplaylists and provide them to a secondary client device which retrievesmedia files specified in the playlist and generates an output to presentthese media files. Client stream agent 500 includes control logic 510,which implements logical functional control to direct operation ofclient stream agent 500, and hardware associated with directingoperation of client stream agent 500. Logic may be hardware logiccircuits or software routines or firmware. In one embodiment, clientstream agent 500 includes one or more applications 512, which representcode sequence or programs that provide instructions to control logic510.

Client stream agent 500 includes memory 514, which represents a memorydevice or access to a memory resource for storing data and/orinstructions. Memory 514 may include memory local to client stream agent500, as well as, or alternatively, including memory of the host systemon which client stream agent 500 resides. Client stream agent 500 alsoincludes one or more interfaces 516, which represent access interfacesto/from (an input/output interface) client stream agent 500 with regardto entities (electronic or human) external to client stream agent 500.

Client stream agent 500 also can include client stream engine 520, whichrepresents one or more functions that enable client stream agent 500 toprovide the real-time, or near real-time, streaming as described herein.The example of FIG. 5 provides several components that may be includedin client stream engine 520; however, different or additional componentsmay also be included. Example components that may be involved inproviding the streaming environment include assembler 530, outputgenerator 540 and security 550. Each of these components may furtherinclude other components to provide other functions. As used herein, acomponent refers to routine, a subsystem, etc., whether implemented inhardware, software, firmware or some combination thereof.

Assembler 530 can utilize a playlist file received from a server toaccess the media files via Web server protocol (e.g., HTTP) from theserver. In one embodiment, assembler 530 may cause to be downloadedmedia files as indicated by URIs in the playlist file. Assembler 530 mayrespond to tags included in the playlist file.

Output generator 540 may provide the received media files as audio orvisual output (or both audio and visual) on the host system. Outputgenerator 540 may, for example, cause audio to be output to one or morespeakers and video to be output to a display device. Security 550 mayprovide security features such as those discussed above.

FIG. 6 illustrates one embodiment of a playlist file with multiple tags.The example playlist of FIG. 6 includes a specific number and orderingof tags. This is provided for description purposes only. Some playlistfiles may include more, fewer or different combinations of tags and thetags can be arranged in a different order than shown in FIG. 6.

Begin tag 610 can indicate the beginning of a playlist file. In oneembodiment, begin tag 610 is a #EXTM3U tag. Duration tag 620 canindicate the duration of the playback list. That is, the duration of theplayback of the media files indicated by playback list 600. In oneembodiment, duration tag 620 is an EXT-X-TARGETDURATION tag; however,other tags can also be used.

Date/Time tag 625 can provide information related to the date and timeof the content provided by the media files indicated by playback list600. In one embodiment, Date/Time tag 625 is an EXT-X-PROGRAM-DATE-TIMEtag; however, other tags can also be used. Sequence tag 630 can indicatethe sequence of playlist file 600 in a sequence of playlists. In oneembodiment, sequence tag 630 is an EXT-X-MEDIA-SEQUENCE tag; however,other tags can also be used.

Security tag 640 can provide information related to security and/orencryption applied to media files indicated by playlist file 600. Forexample, the security tag 640 can specify a decryption key to decryptfiles specified by the media file indicators. In one embodiment,security tag 640 is an EXT-X-KEY tag; however, other tags can also beused. Variant list tag 645 can indicate whether variant streams areprovided by playlist 600 as well as information related to the variantstreams (e.g., how many, bit rate). In one embodiment, variant list tag645 is an EXT-X-STREAM-INF tag.

Media file indicators 650 can provide information related to media filesto be played. In one embodiment, media file indicators 650 include URIsto multiple media files to be played. In one embodiment, the order ofthe URIs in playlist 600 corresponds to the order in which the mediafiles should be accessed and/or played. Subsequent playlist indicators660 can provide information related to one or more playback files to beused after playback file 600. In one embodiment, subsequent playlistindicators 660 can include URIs to one or more playlist files to be usedafter the media files of playlist 600 have been played.

Memory tag 670 can indicate whether and/or how long a client device maystore media files after playback of the media file content. In oneembodiment, memory tag 670 is an EXT-X-ALLOW-CACHE tag. End tag 680indicates whether playlist file 600 is the last playlist file for apresentation. In one embodiment, end tag 680 is an EXT-X-ENDLIST tag.

The following section contains several example playlist files accordingto one embodiment.

Simple Playlist file #EXTM3U #EXT-X-TARGETDURATION:10 #EXTINF:5220,http://media.example.com/entire.ts #EXT-X-ENDLIST Sliding WindowPlaylist, using HTTPS #EXTM3U #EXT-X-TARGETDURATION:8#EXT-X-MEDIA-SEQUENCE:2680 #EXTINF:8,https://priv.example.com/fileSequence2680.ts #EXTINF:8,https://priv.example.com/fileSequence2681.ts #EXTINF:8,https://priv.example.com/fileSequence2682.ts Playlist file withencrypted media files #EXTM3U #EXT-X-MEDIA-SEQUENCE:7794#EXT-X-TARGETDURATION:15 #EXT-X-KEY:METHOD=AES-128,URI=“https://priv.example.com/key.php?r=52” #EXTINF:15,http://media.example.com/fileSequence7794.ts #EXTINF:15,http://media.example.com/fileSequence7795.ts #EXTINF:15,http://media.example.com/fileSequence7796.ts#EXT-X-KEY:METHOD=AES-128,URI=“ https://priv.example.com/key.php?r=53”#EXTINF:15, http://media.example.com/fileSequence7797.ts VariantPlaylist file #EXTM3U #EXT-X-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=1280000http://example.com/low.m3u8#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=2560000http://example.com/mid.m3u8#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=7680000http://example.com/hi.m3u8 #EXT-X-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=65000,CODECS=“mp4a.40.5”http://example.com/audio-only.m3u8

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a playback technique forassembled streams as described herein. In one embodiment, playback ofthe received media files can be controlled by the user to start, stop,rewind, etc. The playlist file is received by the client device inoperation 700. The media files indicated by the playlist file areretrieved in operation 710. Output is generated based on the receivedmedia files in operation 720. Receiving and generating output based onmedia files can be accomplished as described above.

If control input is detected in operation 730, the client device candetermine if the input indicates a stop in operation 740. If the inputis a stop, the process concludes and playback stops. If the inputindicates a rewind or forward request in operation 750, the clientdevice can generate output based on previously played media files stillstored in memory in operation 760. If these files are no longer in acache, then processing reverts to operation 710 to retrieve the mediafiles and repeats the process. In an alternate embodiment, playback cansupport a pause feature that halts playback without concluding playbackas with a stop input.

Methods for transitioning from one stream to another stream are furtherdescribed with reference to FIGS. 9A-9D. One client device can performeach of these methods or the operations of each of these methods can bedistributed across multiple client devices as described herein; forexample, in the distributed case, one client device can retrieve thevariant playlist and the two media playlists and provide those toanother client device which retrieves media files specified by the twomedia playlists and switches between the two streams provided by theretrieved media files. It will also be understood that, in alternativeembodiments, the order of the operations shown may be modified or therecan be more or fewer operations than shown in these figures. The methodscan use a variant playlist to select different streams. A variantplaylist can be retrieved and processed in operation 901 to determineavailable streams for a program (e.g. a sporting event). Operation 901can be done by a client device. A first stream can be selected from thevariant playlist in operation 903, and a client device can then retrievea media playlist for the first stream. The client device can process themedia playlist for the first stream in operation 905 and also measure orotherwise determine a bit rate of the network connection for the firststream in operation 907. It will be appreciated that the sequence ofoperations may be performed in an order which is different than what isshown in FIG. 9A; for example, operation 907 may be performed duringoperation 903, etc. In operation 911 the client device selects analternative media playlist from the variant playlist based on themeasured bit rate from operation 907; this alternative media playlistmay be at a second bit rate that is higher than the existing bit rate ofthe first stream. This typically means that alternative stream will havea higher resolution than the first stream. The alternative mediaplaylist can be selected if it is a better match than the currentplaylist for the first stream based on current conditions (e.g. the bitrate measured in operation 907). In operation 913, the alternative mediaplaylist for an alternate stream is retrieved and processed. Thistypically means that the client device can be receiving and processingboth the first stream and the alternative stream so both are availablefor presentation; one is presented while the other is ready to bepresented. The client device then selects a transition point to switchbetween the versions of the streams in operation 915 and stopspresenting the first stream and begins presenting the alternativestream. Examples of how this switch is accomplished are provided inconjunction with FIGS. 9B-9D. In some embodiments, the client device canstop receiving the first stream before making the switch.

FIG. 9B shows that the client device retrieves, stores and presentscontent specified by the first media playlist (e.g. the first stream) inoperations 921 and 923, and while the content specified by the firstplaylist is being presented the client device in operation 925 alsoretrieves and stores content specified by the second media playlist(e.g. the second stream). The retrieval and storage (e.g. in a temporarybuffer) of the content specified by the second media playlist whilepresenting the content obtained from the first media playlist creates anoverlap 955 in time of the program's content (shown in FIG. 9D) thatallows the client device to switch between the versions of the programwithout a substantial interruption of the program. In this way, theswitch between the versions of the program can be achieved in many caseswithout the user noticing that a switch has occurred (although the usermay notice a higher resolution image after the switch in some cases) orwithout a substantial interruption in the presentation of the program.In operation 927, the client device determines a transition point atwhich to switch from content specified by the first media playlist tocontent specified by the second media playlist; an example of atransition point (transition point 959) is shown in FIG. 9D. The contentspecified by the second media playlist is then presented in operation931 after the switch.

The method shown in FIGS. 9C and 9D represents one embodiment fordetermining the transition point; this embodiment relies upon a patternmatching on audio samples from the two streams 951 and 953 to determinethe transition point. It will be appreciated that alternativeembodiments can use pattern matching on video samples or can use thetimestamps in the two streams, etc. to determine the transition point.The method can include, in operation 941, storing content (e.g. stream951) specified by the first media playlist in a buffer; the buffer canbe used for the presentation of the content and also for the patternmatching operation. The stream 951 includes both audio samples 951A andvideo samples 951B. The video samples can use a compression techniquewhich relies on i-frames or key frames which have all necessary contentto display a single video frame. The content in stream 951 can includetimestamps specifying a time (e.g. time elapsed since the beginning ofthe program), and these timestamps can mark the beginning of each of thesamples (e.g. the beginning of each of the audio samples 951A and thebeginning of each of the video samples 951B). In some cases, acomparison of the timestamps between the two streams may not be usefulin determining a transition point because they may not be precise enoughor because of the difference in the boundaries of the samples in the twostreams; however, a comparison of the timestamps ranges can be used toverify there is an overlap 955 in time between the two streams. Inoperation 943, the client device stores in a buffer content specified bythe second media playlist; this content is for the same program as thecontent obtained from the first media playlist and it can includetimestamps also. In one embodiment, timestamps, if not present in astream, can be added to a playlist for a stream; for example, in oneembodiment an ID3 tag which includes one or more timestamps can be addedto an entry in a playlist, such as a variant playlist or a mediaplaylist. The entry may, for example, be in a URI for a first sample ofan audio stream. FIG. 9D shows an example of content 953 obtained fromthe second media playlist, and this includes audio samples 953A andvideo samples 953B. In operation 945, the client device can perform apattern matching on the audio samples in the two streams 951 and 953 toselect from the overlap 955 the transition point 959 which can be, inone embodiment, the next self contained video frame (e.g. i-frame 961)after the matched audio segments (e.g. segments 957). Beginning withi-frame 961 (and its associated audio sample), presentation of theprogram uses the second stream obtained from the second media playlist.The foregoing method can be used in one embodiment for both a changefrom a slower to a faster bit rate and for a change from a faster to aslower bit rate, but in another embodiment the method can be used onlyfor a change from a slower to a faster bit rate and another method (e.g.do not attempt to locate a transition point but attempt to store andpresent content from the slower bit rate stream as soon as possible) canbe used for a change from a faster to a slower bit.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a technique for providingmultiple redundant locations that provide playlists or media content orboth to client devices using alternative streams. If a playlist containsalternate streams as discussed above, then alternate streams can notonly operate as bandwidth or device alternates, but also as failurefallbacks. For example, if the client is unable to reload the playlistfile for a stream (due to a 404 error or a network connection error, forexample), the client can attempt to switch to an alternate stream.Referring to FIG. 10, to implement failover protection, a first serverdevice or first content distribution service is configured to create astream, or multiple alternate bandwidth streams in operation 1002 asdiscussed in conjunction with the description of FIG. 2C. In operation1004, the first server device or first content distribution servicegenerates playlist file(s) from the stream(s) generated in operation1002. A second server device or second content distribution service cancreate a parallel stream, or set of streams, in operation 1006 and alsocreate a playlist. These parallel stream(s) can be considered backupstreams. Next, the list of backup streams is added to the playlistfile(s) in operation 1008 so that the backup stream(s) at each bandwidthis listed after the primary stream. For example, if the primary streamcomes from server ALPHA, and the backup stream is on server BETA, then aplaylist file might be as follows:

#EXTM3U #EXT-X-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1, BANDWIDTH=200000http://ALPHA.mycompany.com/low/prog_index.m3u8#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1, BANDWIDTH=200000http://BETA.mycompany.com/low/prog_index.m3u8#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1, BANDWIDTH=500000http://ALPHA.mycompany.com/mid/prog_index.m3u8#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1, BANDWIDTH=500000http://BETA.mycompany.com/mid/prog_index.m3u8

Note that the backup streams are intermixed with the primary streams inthe playlist with the backup at each bandwidth is listed after theprimary for that bandwidth. A client is not limited to a single backupstream set. In the example above, ALPHA and BETA could be followed byGAMMA, for instance. Similarly, it is not necessary to provide acomplete parallel set of streams. A single low-bandwidth stream may beprovided on a backup server, for example.

In operation 1010, the client attempts to download playlist file(s) froma first URL using a first stream associated with the first server deviceor the first content distribution service. FIG. 11 illustrates a networkin which a client 1102 communicates bi-directionally with one or moreURLs, server devices or content distribution services, in accordancewith one embodiment. The playlist file(s) may be transmitted from thefirst URL, server device or content distribution service in operation1012 to the client 1102. If a client is unable to download the playlistfile(s) from the first URL, server device, or content distributionservice (e.g., due to an error in reloading the index file for astream), the client attempts to switch to an alternate stream. In theevent of a failure (e.g., index load failure) on one stream (e.g.,operation 1010), the client chooses the highest bandwidth alternatestream that the network connection supports in operation 1014. If thereare multiple alternates at the same bandwidth, the client chooses amongthem in the order listed in the playlist. For example, if the client1102 is not able to successfully download from URL 1, it may downloadfrom URL 2 or another URL in which case the playlist file(s) aretransmitted from the alternative URL to the client. This featureprovides redundant streams that will allow media to reach clients evenin the event of severe local failures, such as a server crashing or acontent distributor node going down.

The failover protection provides the ability to provide multipleredundant locations from which clients can retrieve playlists and mediafiles. Thus, if the client cannot retrieve a stream from a firstlocation, it can attempt to access the stream

from a secondary, tertiary, etc. location.

In one embodiment, to indicate the additional locations from which theclient can retrieve a playlist, the same variant playlist tag would beprovided with the same bandwidth, but a new URI of the redundantlocation. The client initially can attempt to access the first URLassociated with the desired bandwidth. If it cannot download theplaylist from the first URL, it then can attempt to access the next URLpresented for the bandwidth, and so on until it has exhausted all thepossibilities.

An example below includes 1 redundant location for the 2560000 bandwidthand 2 redundant locations for the 7680000 bandwidth.

#EXTM3U  #EXT-X-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=1280000 http://example.com/low.m3u8 #EXT-X-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=2560000 http://example.com/mid.m3u8 #EXT-X-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=2560000 http://example1.com/mid-redundant2.m3u8 #EXT-X-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=7680000 http://example.com/hi.m3u8 #EXT-X-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=7680000 http://example2.com/hi-redudant2.m3u8 #EXT-X-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=7680000 http://example3.com/hi-redudant3.m3u8#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=65000, CODECS=“mp4a.40.5” http://example.com/audio-only.m3u8

Note that in this example both the filenames (e.g., mid-redundant2.m3u8)and the actual URL (e.g., http://example2.com <http://example2.com/>,http://example3.com <http://example3.com>) change. However, in oneembodiment, a redundant location can be a change only to the filename oronly to the website.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of one embodiment of an electronic system. Theelectronic system illustrated in FIG. 8 is intended to represent a rangeof electronic systems (either wired or wireless) including, for example,desktop computer systems, laptop computer systems, cellular telephones,personal digital assistants (PDAs) including cellular-enabled PDAs, settop boxes, entertainment systems or other consumer electronic devices.Alternative electronic systems may include more, fewer and/or differentcomponents. The electronic system of FIG. 8 may be used to provide theclient device and/or the server device.

Electronic system 800 includes bus 805 or other communication device tocommunicate information, and processor 810 coupled to bus 805 that mayprocess information. While electronic system 800 is illustrated with asingle processor, electronic system 800 may include multiple processorsand/or co-processors. Electronic system 800 further may include randomaccess memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device 820 (referred to asmain memory), coupled to bus 805 and may store information andinstructions that may be executed by processor 810. Main memory 820 mayalso be used to store temporary variables or other intermediateinformation during execution of instructions by processor 810.

Electronic system 800 may also include read only memory (ROM) and/orother static storage device 830 coupled to bus 805 that may store staticinformation and instructions for processor 810. Data storage device 840may be coupled to bus 805 to store information and instructions. Datastorage device 840 such as flash memory or a magnetic disk or opticaldisc and corresponding drive may be coupled to electronic system 800.

Electronic system 800 may also be coupled via bus 805 to display device850, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) or liquid crystal display (LCD),to display information to a user. Electronic system 800 can also includean alphanumeric input device 860, including alphanumeric and other keys,which may be coupled to bus 805 to communicate information and commandselections to processor 810. Another type of user input device is cursorcontrol 870, such as a touchpad, a mouse, a trackball, or cursordirection keys to communicate direction information and commandselections to processor 810 and to control cursor movement on display850.

Electronic system 800 further may include one or more networkinterface(s) 880 to provide access to a network, such as a local areanetwork. Network interface(s) 880 may include, for example, a wirelessnetwork interface having antenna 885, which may represent one or moreantenna(e). Electronic system 800 can include multiple wireless networkinterfaces such as a combination of WiFi, Bluetooth and cellulartelephony interfaces. Network interface(s) 880 may also include, forexample, a wired network interface to communicate with remote devicesvia network cable 887, which may be, for example, an Ethernet cable, acoaxial cable, a fiber optic cable, a serial cable, or a parallel cable.

In one embodiment, network interface(s) 880 may provide access to alocal area network, for example, by conforming to IEEE 802.11b and/orIEEE 802.11g standards, and/or the wireless network interface mayprovide access to a personal area network, for example, by conforming toBluetooth standards. Other wireless network interfaces and/or protocolscan also be supported.

In addition to, or instead of, communication via wireless LAN standards,network interface(s) 880 may provide wireless communications using, forexample, Time Division, Multiple Access (TDMA) protocols, Global Systemfor Mobile Communications (GSM) protocols, Code Division, MultipleAccess (CDMA) protocols, and/or any other type of wirelesscommunications protocol.

Reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment”means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic describedin connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodimentof the invention. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” invarious places in the specification are not necessarily all referring tothe same embodiment.

In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described withreference to specific embodiments thereof. It will, however, be evidentthat various modifications and changes can be made thereto withoutdeparting from the broader spirit and scope of the invention. Thespecification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

1. A machine implemented method comprising: requesting data, with aclient device, over a network using a transfer protocol; receiving, inresponse to the requesting, a playlist comprising a plurality of tagsand a plurality of Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs) indicating afirst playlist file and a second playlist file, wherein one or more ofthe plurality of tags indicates a first URI associated with the firstplaylist file and specifying a first location for content and a secondURI associated with the second playlist file and specifying a secondlocation for the content, wherein the second location is at leastpartially redundant of the first location; selecting, with the clientdevice, the first playlist file or the second playlist file; using thetransfer protocol, requesting the selected first or second playlist filewith the client device, wherein the requesting uses a URI from theplaylist corresponding to the selected playlist file; receiving, withthe client device, the requested playlist file, the requested playlistfile having URIs indicating a plurality of media files and a pluralityof tags having parameters related to playback of the plurality of mediafiles; using the transfer protocol, requesting one or more of the mediafiles in an order indicated by the requested playlist file; receivingthe one or more requested media files over the network using thetransfer protocol.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:generating an audio and/or video output representing the stream ofcontent by playing the media files with the client device in the orderindicated by the playlist, and wherein selecting, with the clientdevice, the first playlist file or the second playlist file comprisesselecting the first playlist file having a lower associated bandwidthparameter.
 3. The method as in claim 1 wherein the playlist is a variantplaylist and wherein the variant playlist specifies the first playlistfile by a URI addressed to the first location and the variant playlistspecifies the second playlist file by a URI addressed to the secondlocation.
 4. The method as in claim 3 wherein the order of URIs in thevariant playlists specifies the order in which the client devicerequests playlists from redundant locations.
 5. The method as in claim 4wherein the transfer protocol is a non-streaming transfer protocol thatis a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP)-compliant protocol.
 6. A machinereadable, non-transitory, tangible storage medium storing executableinstructions that cause a data processing system to perform a methodcomprising: requesting data, with a client device, over a network usinga transfer protocol; receiving, in response to the requesting, aplaylist comprising a plurality of tags and a plurality of UniformResource Identifiers (URIs) indicating a first playlist file and asecond playlist file, wherein one or more of the plurality of tagsindicates a first URI associated with the first playlist file andspecifying a first location for content and a second URI associated withthe second playlist file and specifying a second location for thecontent, wherein the second location is at least partially redundant ofthe first location; selecting, with the client device, the firstplaylist file or the second playlist file; using the transfer protocol,requesting the selected first or second playlist file with the clientdevice, wherein the requesting uses a URI from the playlistcorresponding to the selected playlist file; receiving, with the clientdevice, the requested playlist file, the requested playlist file havingURIs indicating a plurality of media files and a plurality of tagshaving parameters related to playback of the plurality of media files;using the transfer protocol, requesting one or more of the media filesin an order indicated by the requested playlist file; receiving the oneor more requested media files over the network using the transferprotocol.
 7. The medium of claim 6, the method further comprising:generating an audio and/or video output representing the stream ofcontent by playing the media files with the client device in the orderindicated by the playlist, and wherein selecting, with the clientdevice, the first playlist file or the second playlist file comprisesselecting the first playlist file having a lower associated bandwidthparameter.
 8. The medium as in claim 6 wherein the playlist is a variantplaylist and wherein the variant playlist specifies the first playlistfile by a URI addressed to the first location and the variant playlistspecifies the second playlist file by a URI addressed to the secondlocation.
 9. The medium as in claim 8 wherein the order of URIs in thevariant playlists specifies the order in which the client devicerequests playlists from redundant locations.
 10. The medium as in claim9 wherein the transfer protocol is a non-streaming transfer protocolthat is a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP)-compliant protocol.
 11. Amachine implemented method comprising: requesting, with a client device,a playlist file over a network using a transfer protocol; receiving, inresponse to the requesting, the playlist file comprising a plurality oftags and a plurality of Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs), wherein oneor more of the plurality of tags indicates a first URI specifying afirst location for content and a second URI specifying a second locationfor the content, wherein the second location is at least partiallyredundant of the first location; selecting, with the client device, thefirst location or the second location; using the transfer protocol,requesting content from the selected first or second location with theclient device, wherein the requesting uses a URI from the playlist filecorresponding to the selected location, wherein the playlist file hasURIs indicating a plurality of media files and a plurality of tagshaving parameters related to playback of the plurality of media filesand wherein the one or more of the media files are requested in an orderindicated by the playlist file; receiving the one or more requestedmedia files over the network using the transfer protocol.
 12. The methodof claim 11 further comprising: generating an audio and/or video outputrepresenting the stream of content by playing the media files with theclient device in the order indicated by the playlist file.
 13. Themethod as in claim 12 wherein the transfer protocol is a non-streamingtransfer protocol that is a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP)-compliantprotocol.
 14. A machine readable, non-transitory, tangible storagemedium storing executable instructions that cause a data processingsystem to perform a method as in claim
 13. 15. A data processing systemcomprising: means for requesting, with a client device, a variantplaylist file over a network using a transfer protocol; means forreceiving, in response to the requesting, the variant playlist filecomprising a plurality of tags and a plurality of Uniform ResourceIdentifiers (URIs) indicating a first playlist file and a secondplaylist file, wherein one or more of the plurality of tags indicates afirst URI associated with the first playlist file and specifying a firstlocation for content and a second URI associated with the secondplaylist file and specifying a second location for the content, whereinthe second location is at least partially redundant of the firstlocation; means for selecting, with the client device, the firstplaylist file or the second playlist file; means for using the transferprotocol, requesting the selected first or second playlist file with theclient device, wherein the requesting uses a URI from the playlistcorresponding to the selected playlist file; means for receiving, withthe client device, the requested playlist file, the requested playlistfile having URIs indicating a plurality of media files and a pluralityof tags having parameters related to playback of the plurality of mediafiles; means for using the transfer protocol, requesting one or more ofthe media files in an order indicated by the requested playlist file;means for receiving the one or more requested media files over thenetwork using the transfer protocol.
 16. A machine implemented methodcomprising: receiving, at a server device, a request for a variantplaylist, the request being received from a network; transmitting, inresponse to the receiving, the variant playlist over the network using atransfer protocol that is an HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol)compliant protocol, wherein the variant playlist comprises a pluralityof tags and a plurality of Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs)indicating a first playlist file and a second playlist file, wherein oneor more of the plurality of tags indicates a first URI associated withthe first playlist file and specifying a first location for content anda second URI associated with the second playlist file and specifying asecond location for the content, and wherein the second location is atleast partially redundant of the first location.
 17. The method as inclaim 16 wherein an order of URIs in the variant playlist specifies theorder in which the client device requests playlists from differentredundant locations.
 18. The method as in claim 17, the method furthercomprising: receiving at the server device a request of the firstplaylist file from a client device, the requesting coming over thenetwork through the transfer protocol; transmitting, from the serverdevice, the first playlist file to the client device over the networkthrough the transfer protocol.
 19. The method as in claim 18, the methodfurther comprising: receiving, at the server device, a URI in the firstplaylist from the client device, the URI specifying at least a portionof the content, the URI being received over the network through thetransfer protocol; transmitting, in response to receiving the URI in thefirst playlist, the at least a portion of the content, the transmittingbeing performed over the network through the transfer protocol.
 20. Themethod as in claim 17 wherein the second location is at least partiallyredundant of the first location for a set of bandwidth and encodingparameters.
 21. A machine readable, non-transitory, tangible storagemedium storing executable instructions that cause a data processingsystem to perform a method comprising: receiving, at a server device, arequest for a variant playlist, the request being received from anetwork; transmitting, in response to the receiving, the variantplaylist over the network using a transfer protocol that is an HTTP(hypertext transfer protocol) compliant protocol, wherein the variantplaylist comprises a plurality of tags and a plurality of UniformResource Identifiers (URIs) indicating a first playlist file and asecond playlist file, wherein one or more of the plurality of tagsindicates a first URI associated with the first playlist file andspecifying a first location for content and a second URI associated withthe second playlist file and specifying a second location for thecontent, and wherein the second location is at least partially redundantof the first location.
 22. The medium as in claim 21 wherein an order ofURIs in the variant playlist specifies the order in which the clientdevice requests playlists from different redundant locations.
 23. Themedium as in claim 22, the method further comprising: receiving at theserver device a request of the first playlist file from a client device,the requesting coming over the network through the transfer protocol;transmitting, from the server device, the first playlist file to theclient device over the network through the transfer protocol.
 24. Themedium as in claim 23, the method further comprising: receiving, at theserver device, a URI in the first playlist from the client device, theURI specifying at least a portion of the content, the URI being receivedover the network through the transfer protocol; transmitting, inresponse to receiving the URI in the first playlist, the at least aportion of the content, the transmitting being performed over thenetwork through the transfer protocol.
 25. The medium as in claim 22wherein the second location is at least partially redundant of the firstlocation for a set of bandwidth and encoding parameters.